Review for Hell Inc: A Hilarious Supernatural Adventure, by Dick Wybrow

This is the first novel in the ‘Hell Inc’ series of three books. The story is wicked good with lots of clever, absurd humor in the vein of Christopher Moore. 

Raz Frewer is pissed that his wife is dying. The doctors all say there is no saving her, she will pass on in a matter of days. Raz was not the most saintly character for most of his life, but his wife has made him a decent human being.

With nothing else to lose, Raz takes a chance and goes to ‘the crossroads’ hoping to find the devil and making the deal to save his wife.

Turns out the Satan and Hell are quite the corporation, full of the same ludicrous bureaucracy of most conglomerates. Raz is assigned to a shady lawyer who concocts the contract. I have to hand it to Dick Wybrow for his imagination and the way he sets up the organization and condition of Hell Inc.

Raz makes the deal. He has just four days to find the pieces of an ancient artifact which are needed to keep the powers of Hell…, well, hellish.

 Raz gets help from some great and unlikely characters on his quest. I suggest you go along for the ride.

 This was a quick, easy and wonderfully humorous read. Definitely worth continuing the series!

Review for Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir. Narrated by Ray Porter

This is the best science fiction I’ve read or listened to in years! Ray Porter is a great narrator, simple enough and with the perfect amount of emotion and inflections. He made it easy to listen to all the science that is referenced. The technical stuff is actually quite entertaining.

I started listening to this book, not really knowing any details. I was drawn right in when the story opens with our main character awakening in a strange place, unable to move, and not knowing who he is. It takes a while, and the discovery is well-paced, for Ryland Grace to figure out who he is and why he is in this place– a spaceship headed at near light-speed, to another star-system, Eridani.

Ryland is not some super-genius, or an especially talented figure. He was a junior high school science teacher who at one time wrote a paper on the theory that not all life needed water or to be in certain habitable zones. His paper was completely rejected by the science community. His knowledge is broad-based and luckily his ship’s computers have the compendium of all accumulated knowledge from earth.

 The story, set in the very near future, is interlaced with flash-backs and Ryland’s memory slowly comes back and he realized how he got here and his purpose. Our sun is losing heat faster than predicted. Other stars in our galaxy are undergoing the same transformation. Ryland is brought into the science community to help identify the problem. It is a doozy of a problem.

 As the sun is consumed, it is calculated that life on earth will be disappearing in approximately thirty years. Within the problem is also a solution. The cause of the sun’s deterioration can also power a spaceship to near light-speed and send it to the star-system where another sun-eating attack appears to be resistant.

 And so starts our adventure. Ryland was never intended for this mission and he’s got a lot to learn. This was a great sixteen hours of entertainment! I can’t recommend it enough. Even my wife, who is not a Sci-fi fan, loved this audiobook.

Book Review for Killer Delivery - A Dana Capone Mystery

I typically wouldn’t choose a cop story or mystery to read. However… when the synopsis said that the main character, Dana Capone, is the daughter of a serial killer, my interest was piqued.

Added bonus: the story takes place in Austin, Texas, a place I’ve visited and enjoyed many times. The urban and Austin character descriptions are spot-on.

Dana, an Austin police detective, lives with the shadow of her psychopath father over her. As a young teen, before this story starts, Dana discovers her father is a prolific serial killer. How’s that for shaping your future? It gives her a dark and sarcastic sense of humor.

Killer Delivery is well paced, written and thought out. The characters have depth and consistency. There are good twists and turns with just enough characters (and red herrings) to keep track of and keep you guessing. Even after the climax, there is still more tension.

The ending sucks you in with the last paragraph. Yep, I have to get the next one in the series because of that ending.

One of my favorite quotes from Killer Delivery is: ‘Brandolini’s Law states that it always takes more energy to refute bullshit that it does to produce it.’

Good job, Claire Feeney.

Book Review for Lucky Stars,

The first novel in the Alice Luck Series.

After listening to H. Claire Taylor's audiobook series, The Killhaven Police, I was ready to devour more of her work.

What a kick! Claire has a knack for good storytelling, wit, sarcasm and satire. This is the first book in her new series, The Alice Luck Space Adventures.

This was an easy and fun read, following Alice (a bit of a slacker from Texas) who accepts/gets roped into a new job. Little does she know…

 Like Arthur Dent in the HHGTTG, Alice is on a spaceship, heading through a time/space warp with a small crew who are totally confused why she is there with them. Alice is just as clueless. Except for her smart mouth, she has no discernable talents.

 They have a definite, though bizarre, mission, and the clock is ticking. Apparently, Alice was chosen for her part because of her yet unorthodox way of thinking as a homegrown Texan. But no one, not even Alice, can figure out what her value is to the operation.

 There will be rewards if they accomplish their mission. Failure means living out eternity on a completely boring planet. The on-board computer has the personality of a dirty old man throwing out sexual innuendos at every opportunity. The ship's holographic therapist supplies the wisdom of the Dali Lama, or Mr. Spock, or the robot from Lost in Space. The rest of the characters are well-defined, consistent and easy to envision.

 References to Alice and her Texas lifestyle are hilarious (Hog wrestling, anyone?). Lots of salty language, so not for the prude or readers sensitive to a little swearing. I certainly laughed my ass off. This story was a great escape, a perfect way to end the day with some bedtime reading. I have the greatest respect for Claire’s imagination and writing chops!

 I'm now starting the second book in this series and already loving it too. I highly recommend!Enjoy, and you’re welcome.

Audiobook Review for Killhaven Police (The Whole F****** Series)

This review is for the entire audiobook series, 1 – 4 of the Killhaven Police by H. Claire Taylor and Brock Bloodworth. I received the series as part of a promotion. It is not typically the style or subject that interests me, and this is not your typical paranormal or were-creature story.

H. Claire Taylor is a well-known writing coach who writes with a wicked sense of humor and sarcasm. I’ve been following her for a couple years on the podcast, Sell More Books show. I pulled the trigger on the promotion when I saw the series is labeled as a ‘dark comedy.’ It lives up to its moniker. Claire’s wit and humor hooked me right away. The narrator/voice actor, Adam Verner, does a great job– his voice(s) fit the characters and action perfectly.  

The story follows Norman Green (a play on words?) a human, rookie cop in the town of Killhaven, Texas, in a world where super-naturals; were-creatures and shape-shifters are normal–and each version has their strengths and quirks. The series starts with a somewhat clueless Officer Green, fresh out of the academy, beginning his field training, thrown into a department where almost all the officers and suspects are paranormals.

Claire has some great insight into the workings of typical police stations and communications between officers. Her descriptions of procedures and the relationships between officers add a touch of realism to this quirky story.

Claire puts it all together exceedingly well with criminal-world leprechauns, elves, cherubs, werewolves and vampires. Each ‘species’ has their strengths, powers and weaknesses. The pacing is perfect, the sarcasm wicked, and I loved the well-thought-out, three-dimensional characters. I was hooked right from the start and the story held me until the end. If she continues the series, I’ll immediately sign up for the next one.

 The bottom line; I’m now a fan for H. Claire Taylor, Brock Bloodworth and Adam Verner. I highly recommend the Killhaven Police for a good, non-serious read or listen. Try a sample and enjoy.

Review for 'The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles. Volume 2'

I was fortunate to be chosen for Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi’s street team as one of their Advance Copy Reviewers.

A great addition to my writing arsenal! They turned me into a true believer and an evangelist for ‘Writers Helping Writers’. I started with their earlier books: The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and Emotional Amplifiers, to help me ‘show’ instead of ‘tell’ in my fiction writing. I wish I’d had this collection when writing my first novel series. All the books and tools from Writers Helping Writers are amazing.

There needs to be conflict in every scene and character of a (good/successful) novel. These two Conflict Thesauruses will help tune up your storytelling game considerably. Even non-fiction writers need conflict to show the need for their product, advice, or opinion. Combine these with the Emotion Thesaurus and you no longer have any excuses for flat, lame writing.

 The first thirty-six pages layout the reason, definition, ways and means of and how to add conflict, the results and the way to resolution. This section is written in easy-to-understand language with examples and a good sense of humor. I suggest you do not skip this section, even if you think you know it already.

 The next 250 pages are the meat of the book, laid out under logical and easy to follow categories with enough ideas and examples to make your head spin. These authors have done the heavy lifting to make your writing life easier, more efficient, and more effective.

They conclude this tome with a nice template for ‘Goal, Motivation, Conflict and Stakes’ tracker for your characters, and a Climax Troubleshooting list of problems and solutions.

 As much as I enjoy holding a physical copy in my hands or laying it out on my desk, I find it more practical to use the ebook/pdf copy. I keep it open when writing and it’s easy to scroll through the index, or use the search/find feature to quickly get to the entries I need. Hyperlinks to related entries are frosting on the cake.

 I highly recommend this book and all the resources from Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. If you have writer friends–give them these gifts.

Check out all their offerings to help elevate your storytelling at:

https://writershelpingwriters.net/

Audiobook Review November 2020

Review for the Audiobook, Gone South, By Robert R. McCammon, George Newbern (Narrator)

 Here’s another book and author I’d never heard of. It was discount offer from Chirp; the cover and description looked good, so I took a chance. Only when I’d finished the audiobook did I learn that Robert R. McCammon is a well-known horror writer, the author of the classics Boy's Life and Swan Song.

Gone South is not horror, but is it drama or comedy? It is what some call Southern Fiction/ Southern Gothic, or Southern Noir. There is tragedy, murder and humor; sarcastic humor in abundance. It’s a bit of Stephen King with some Carl Hiaasen stirred in. In this story, the big question is; How fast and how far can things go bad? 

 The title: Gone South, has a double meaning. The location of the story is The South; Louisiana. When you’ve gone south in Louisiana, it means you’re dead.  It’s also the term that Viet Nam vet, Dan, the story’s hero, uses for the soldiers who went crazy or screwed up. Dan came back from ‘Nam with PTSD. He’s lost his job, his family, and now he has leukemia, probably from all the Agent Orange the U.S. dumped on him.

 Dan is already down on his luck when he has a bad day, a terrible day. He gets in a fight with the new loan manager of the bank in his small town. Dan didn’t go there for a battle and he didn’t have a gun, but a gun went off and the manager killed. Not sure where to go, Dan just knows he needs to get out of there. It doesn’t take long for the killing to be a top line news item and the police are looking for him. 

 The side story is that of Flint, a bounty hunter with an internalized Siamese/Parasitic twin (you’ll have to read or listen to it yourself to appreciate it). Flint get unwillingly partnered up with Pelvis Isley; an Elvis impersonator (with his dog, Mama). 

 These threads of Dan’s escape, and pursuit by Flint and Pelvis, keep this a well-paced adventure/escape story. Then throw in a young Texas woman, Arden, who’s searching for a (faith?) healer rumored to live in the swamps. It is the same swamp where a drug king ships out Meth in the bellies of alligators his gang has poached. 

 This audiobook is a total winner for me. The descriptions and dialogue are great. The narrator, George Newbern,does an outstanding job with accents, timing, and all the little nuances that kept me rapt with attention. I highly recommend it! So much so, that I’ve put Boy’s Life on my To Be Read List. Boy’s Life has a different narrator. I’ll listen to a sample and decide whether to get the audio or paperback version. 

October 2020 Book Review: Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait, by K.A. Bedford

Never heard of this book before it appeared on my ‘recommended’ list.  The title intrigued me, and what inspired me to pick this book was the cover; brilliant! Is it science fiction, a murder mystery, comedy or drama? It was quite an enjoyable witty and sarcastic read full of the paradoxes of time travel. The author does not portray this as a serious work of science fiction. It is more about the character than the science.

This is Australian humor, similar to British, witty and more than a touch of sarcasm. It takes place in Perth, Australia, centered in the year 2027  but/and since it involves time travel machines, it also takes place over various time periods. It’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets Back to the Future, with a sprinkling of Philip K. Dick. 

 Time travel has become a popular vacation activity as anyone with enough money can now own their own machine. The government Department of Time and Space (DOTAS) has set rules about non-interference, or view only restrictions for such popular events as the crucifixion or the Kennedy assignation.

 Our main character, Spider Webb, is a talented time machine repairman whose life has fallen into a semi-miserable existence after losing his job as a policeman. Spider hates time travel, avoiding it when not absolutely necessary, but it’s sometimes part of the biz. When he’s called to look at a second-hand time machine, there is a problem he can’t figure out. The machine goes back to the shop, and a team from the manufacturer is brought in to help diagnose. They set up a special tent which creates its own universe inside. Not only do they find that there are two identical machines residing in the same space, one of them has a corpse. DOTAS immediately confiscates the whole affair. Spider’s old cop senses kick in. And thus begins the adventure.

 Soon after, Spider is visited by various future versions of himself who’ve traveled back in time to warn him about his future or help him in the present as he tries to figure who the murdered woman in the time machine is. He is also trying to prevent his ex-wife from getting murdered. He finds one of his future selves is diddling with his sexy ex-partner from the police force.

 The story gets increasingly convoluted as present-day Spider gets pulled deep into a plot that involves the ultimate villain (his boss at the time machine repair shop) who is working to destroy the universe and bring about the end of time. When present Spider travels (unwillingly) to the end of time is where the story gets a little hinky. The author never quite resolved that bit and the villain’s motivation. There are a few other dead ends I wanted explored or explained, but it wasn’t enough to bog down the story too much. 

All in all, this was a light read for science fiction, and rather clever. The ending was… hard to describe; not bad, not quite filling or thirst-quenching. Perhaps the blank page at the end is the ultimate irony? I recommend it as long as you’re not a hardcore SF aficionado or offended by the four-letter language.

 There is a sequel, Paradox Resolution, which I’m putting on my wish list.

August 2020 Audiobook Review: Ain't No Messiah

Review for ‘Ain’t no Messiah’ by Mark Tullius, narrated by Ric Chetter. This is the first book in the Tales of the Blessed and Broken series.

Another good audiobook I picked up from Chirp. I’ll say up front that I’m not affiliated with Chirp – I get no special deals or compensation. I’ve bought seven audiobooks though them so far. I’d never heard of the titles, authors or narrators before I bought the audiobooks. The descriptions sounded good, they were all on ‘special pricing’ for a limited period, and for a few bucks I took the chance and haven’t been disappointed with any of my choices. This audiobook is well produced, the voice acting by Ric Chetter is superb.

Readers or listeners beware: there is profanity, violence, some sexual situations and abuse in many flavors. It’s disturbing – and that’s what makes this story so enticing. 

 Ain’t No Messiah is written and narrated in first person by the main character Joshua Campbell. This is another ‘dark’ and thought-provoking tale, a suspenseful, religious thriller. It is not a joyful, inspiring account of this man’s life. The story jumps between the present (the story’s end) and recollections or flashbacks throughout Joshua’s life. Starting at his birth, which he almost didn’t survive, Charles, his father, declares Joshua the new messiah.  Close calls with death is a theme repeated throughout the story.

The biggest influence in Joshua’s life is his tyrannical father, a man who becomes a stereotypical, fanatical, hypocritical, Bible-thumping preacher. It quickly becomes clear that his father sees the dollar signs as he gathers, sometimes coerces, larger and larger congregations to his new church; The Church of the Second Son. Charles writes his own version of a new testament of the Christian bible, with Joshua as the new messiah who is going to kick ass on this wicked world. Now preacher Charles can thump his own bible as he builds his cult. Nonetheless, Joshua is physically, verbally and mentally abused by his parents throughout his childhood.

About his mother, I’ll simply say that she’s also broken under the power of her husband. His younger brother Paul: equally screwed up but/and very powerful.

 From an early age, Joshua doesn’t now what to think about this messiah business. He doesn’t have any super-powers, any ‘special’ communication with God, or proof of his mantel. He’s kept under a strict thumb at home and isn’t allow to go to school or mingle with the kids around his rural home. When he finally makes some friends in his mid-teen years, Joshua is years behind in social skills and his knowledge of the world.

 After denouncing the church, his parents and running away from home, Joshua still somewhat innocent, falls into the world of sex, drugs and even deeper crimes. He tracks down some of his estranged relatives and learns more about his unusual heritage. He also learns to workout, building his muscle until he is an imposing, tattooed figure you wouldn’t want to cross. 

Joshua is still recognized now and then as that famous kid supposed to be the new messiah. One of his few childhood friends has obtained a video camera and insists of chronicling the events of Joshua’s life; the good, the bad and the porno.

 The middle of the book brings to mind the song: A Boy Named Sue. ‘I grew up quick and I grew up mean. My fists got hard and my wits got clean.’  Joshua learns some hard lessons as he tries to prove he’s anything but the son of God. Charles still proclaims him to be the messiah, even though they haven’t had contact for years. 

But Charles has a few aces up his sleeve, still believing in his own preaching that Joshua is the chosen one. Forcing himself back into Joshua’s life and Joshua’s back against the wall with threats so powerful, Joshua has no choice but to acquiesce to his father’s will. The tension is definitely building to the final showdown and ending payoff.  Will the desperate masses once again be willing to sacrifice the anointed man for their own salvation? 

 Joshua will finally show the world who he really is. To say more, would be to spoil the ending. I will say it satisfied me! I’m looking forward to the next books in the Tales of the Blessed and Broken series.

July 2020 Audiobook Review: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Disclosure: Shortly after reading the first novel in my Dream Messiah series, my wife picked up the novel; The Great Alone, by Kristen Hannah. She kept telling me ‘You have to read this. So much is similar to your book!’

Since I had a pile of books already on ‘to be read’ list, it felt like I’d get to it sooner if I could listen to the audiobook. That’s the version I’m reviewing today.

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The Great Alone refers to a line from Robert Service’s poem, ‘The Shooting of Dan McGrew,’  describing a scene during the gold rush of the Klondike and Alaska. It’s an apt title for this novel. It is well written with excellent location descriptions and characters to bring out your entire range of emotions. It is well narrated by Julia Whelan in a nearly flawless performance. I only wish they would have used a de-esser on the recording, her speech has a lot of sibilance.

This is not a happy book full of joy and rainbows. This is a book which will make you angry for the most part. While most of the key characters are victims, the heros, particularly a woman known as Large Marge, take no shit.

The story begins in the 1970s of Seattle, Washington, where Leni is an awkward thirteen year old girl living with her parents Cora and Ernt. This coming of age story is told by young Leni and ends a decade later after one helluva ride. 

Leni’s mother, Cora begins to lose my sympathy early on in the story. She is an enabling, co-dependent woman addicted to the damaged man who is dominating her and Leni. She is not an unintelligent or untalented woman. Unfortunately like many people in abusive relationships, she doesn’t have the brains or guts to leave.

Ernt has just returned from Vietnam to his young family in Seattle. Ernt may have started out as a decent guy, but he rapidly deteriorates after his return to the States. After losing numerous jobs and close run-ins with the law, he moves the family to a rural outpost in Alaska where his now-deceased Army buddy has left him title to a ramshackle cabin.

The family of three are excited to pile into an old VW bus for the long drive north to the town of Homer, then take a ferry across Katchemak Bay to the fictional town of Kaneq. Once they find the remote cabin, the disappointment and challenges really begin. The homestead is run down and truly off the grid; no electricity, no phone and no indoor plumbing.

As they settle in, the family also settles into a deepening pit of dysfunction. Ernt is an alcoholic, clearly has PTSD, and is a mean drunk. Cora, the target of Ernt’s jealousy, becomes his punching bag any time she dares to disagree with him. Ernt will descend into dangerous, delusional paranoia. Leni is learning to love the landscape and spirit of Alaska as the family is tested by the rigors of life in the wilderness. In fact, Alaska is as much a character in this story as the humans. 

I must declare that I lived in the same area and built a few homesteads where the author Kristin Hannah describes, during the period when the book takes place. She’s done an impressive job of evoking visions and emotions while describing what Leni is experiencing through the weather and living conditions, and the eccentric folk that live on the outskirts of civilization. Hannah writes some great literary lines tying the Alaska landscape to the personalities and emotions. 

It seems that every time Leni begins to find joy as she grows up and works her way through the difficulties of a homesteader’s life, the spousal and family abuse get worse. Without sounding like a violent pyshco myself, there are times when you’ll want to cold-cock Ernt. There are times when you want to shake up Cora and tell her to get her daughter and herself the F out of there. But stick with it, and there is resolution to this bleak story. If you want happy or cozy stories - this is not the book for you.

The cultural references to the era are dead on-target.If you’ve lived in Alaska, you’ll relate to all the characters and personalities. If you’ve never been to the state of Alaska and the Great Alone state of mind, this story may be an amalgamation of the people, and it’s spot-on. It’s a five-star work, in my opinion.

June 2020 Audiobook Review: John Dies at the End

AudioBook Review: John Dies at the End, by David Wong

Narrated by Stephen R. Thorne

 What the hell did I just listen to? I’m not sure, but I’ll give a full five stars. This is another audiobook I bought and listened to through Chirp, an alternative to Audible (Audio books through Amazon). First, a quick explanation of the process.

 I’d never heard of this book, the author or the narrator. Notices of ‘weekly deals’ from Chirp show up in my email. I give them a quick glance and delete most. Occasionally, if I see something that catches my eye, I read the description and throw down a few dollars to take the chance. This is the fifth audiobook I’ve purchased from Chirp. The ‘regular’ price for this audiobook from Chirp is $29.95. I paid $2.99! If you have an Audible account, you can listen for ‘free’ or buy it for $18.87.

 This is fourteen hours of ludicrous, Humorous-Horror Fiction like Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft, with a big whooping dollop of Douglas Adams and Christopher Moore. This story of parallel or alternative universes, dark powers and absurd situations written like a stream-of-consciousness confession (which it pretty much is), is fantastic if you have a warped sense of humor (like me). So, is this a genuine horror story that is also witty, or a parody of horror with ‘buddies’ in the vein of Bill and Ted, or Jay and Silent Bob? I choose both.

 Typically, I hate long, drawn-out descriptions. This story and the narration are an exception. The voice actor, Stephen R. Thorn, speaks at a fairly fast pace which keeps my sometimes ADD mind from wandering. As I said, this audiobook is mostly a stream of conscious monologue. There weren’t big distinctions between the voices of the characters, and that fit this story just fine. My hat is off to your choice for narrator!

 This is the story of two sarcastic buddies, somewhere in their twenties, who taste a new drug called Soy Sauce. John injects it on purpose, Dave gets stuck by accident. Shortly thereafter, all hell breaks loose – literally! Dave is telling us the story months after it began. Actually, he’s in a restaurant and telling this multi-dimensional storyline to a reporter. Now and then, we, the readers/listeners, are returned to the restaurant booth for a little more interaction between Dave and the reporter. 

 So… do we believe all this crazy stuff that’s happened to Dave and John, or is Dave just bat-shit crazy and an unreliable narrator? He was, after all, in a school for ‘behavior disorders’ where he met Amy. Amy was there because she bit a teacher. Dave thinks she’s mentally handicapped and nicknames her ‘Cucumber’ due to her propensity to spontaneously vomit like a sea cucumber. Dave was in Pinewood School because he got revenge on a high school bully by blinding and disfiguring the kid with a knife.

Although I was blown away by Wong’s machine gun, staccato descriptions, especially of the ‘horror’ or action scenes, the part I really loved was the explanation that Amy gives of what happened to her, and her high school experience. Amy is a minor character is brought into the story early, but more as a prop than a focus. Further into the middle build we come to understand and appreciate her place in the story and her former propensity for vomiting was because of pain meds she needed to be on. Amy becomes the character we care about the most. Her dog, Molly, was pretty cool too, and is also a major character in the story. 

Most of the time the action comes at you so fast, you don’t have time to think or ruminate. Amy’s story was a nice break from the brisk pace, and a chance to take a breath to bond with her.

 There are some great time travel/warp situations ala Back to the Future, or Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Discovering the truth of Korrok, the story’s main antagonist, was an unexpected eye-opener.

I’ve just made two more discoveries while writing this review. First, there are two more books in this series. I’m not sure yet if I’ll get a paperback, ebook, or the audiobook version. Second, there is a movie of this book! It is a 2012 production directed by Don Coscarelli, starring Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, and Paul Giamatti. The movie is available to stream online, but I picked up the DVD from our local library. I just started watching. I put it on pause because I think my wife may want in on this. I didn’t think the audiobook was her style, but we’ve enjoyed many a bizarre movie together and this might be up her alley. 

So far the movie is faithful to the audiobook. It will be interesting to see how they condense fourteen hours of audiobook into 100 minutes of film.

***UPDATE: The movie was a letdown. Yes the beginning was good, but trying to shorten it all down ruined it for me. Most of the special effects weren’t so special, and it turned into a typical Hollywood formulaic disaster. I recommend you skip the movie.***

 That’s enough for now. I loved this audiobook and encourage you to give it a listen or a read.

February 2020 Book Review: The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope, by Rhonda Riley

I’m not sure how to classify this masterpiece literary novel; it’s a story of love, relationships and wonder, but it is not a romance novel. The story uses magical realism, but it is not fantasy or science fiction. I agree with other reviewers who’ve compared it to The Time Traveler’s Wife or The Story of Edgar Sawtell, perhaps even a touch of the movie, Enemy Mine. 

 Our main character and the narrator of this story is Evelyn Roe, who as an older teenager has to take over and run the inherited family farm in rural North Carolina during WW II. The rest of her family remains a short distance away in town, where her father and brothers work in the cotton mill. Evelyn works the garden and milks the cow to provide food for the family in town. 

Author Rhonda Riley paints a vivid picture of farm and family life without going overboard with verbose ramblings. Riley also gives remarkable descriptions of feelings and emotions.

"Grief is a powerful river in flood. It cannot be argued or reasoned or wrestled down to an insignificant trickle. You must let it take you where it is going. When it pulls you under, all you can do is keep your eyes open for rocks and fallen trees, try not to panic and stay face-up so you will know where the sky is. You will need that information later. Eventually, its waters calm and you will be on a shore far from where you began, raw and sore, but clean and as close to whole as you will ever be again".

― Rhonda Riley, The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope

The story starts simple enough with Evelyn describing her family, their life in rural South Carolina and the simple events that lead to her moving to live on the farm by herself. Shortly after her move, the story takes a big turn.

 During a wild, winter rainstorm Evelyn rescues a man she believes is badly burned and disfigured, from a mudhole on the farm property. This is where the magical realism enters; it is not fantasy with wizards or magicians, fairies or unicorns. It’s magic I find easy to accept and to suspend my disbelief. The disfigured man quickly heals but behaves as a newborn babe – with a limited understanding of this world. 

The story of Adam Hope is the relationship that Evelyn and Adam grow into. It is a wonderful tale – not sweet and syrupy, there are fears and challenges, there are threats and secrets. You can’t help but root for Evelyn, Adam and their children.   

 The story spans the life of Evelyn from her teen years until she and Adam have raised their daughters and Evelyn is enjoying the company of grandchildren on a Florida horse ranch. All the characters are well developed and relatable. It is easy to picture them and relate to their personalities. Adam is different, he is not ‘one of us.’ Adam is a man of the land and nature, who has a gift for communicating with horses and never loses his wonderment of human experiences. 

 Many times I had to stop reading, take a breath and a few moments to say; ‘Dang, this woman (the author, Rhonda Riley) knows how to write.’

In closing, I repeat that I consider this novel to be a masterpiece. Rhonda Riley has given us an enchanting story that sucked me completely in. Her writing style and prose is terrific and an inspiration for me. 

Review for audiobook Ren – by Sarah Noffke, narrated by Tim Campbell

I loved this audiobook, the compilation of the first three books of the Ren Series – A Sociopath’s Tale of Survival, Power and Betrayal. This set runs 25 hours and 33 minutes! Audible lists it in the categories of Urban Fantasy, Supernatural Thriller, and Paranormal Fantasy.

The story follows the life of Ren Lewis, born with the power to read thoughts, control others and travel through his dreams. Ren is sure God made a mistake in letting him be born. If you like the character of House in the TV show of the same name, you’ll love Ren Lewis. Ren is a sarcastic, arrogant, obnoxious, smart-ass misanthrope and a great anti-hero. As a young boy, he abuses his powers until he’s fully corrupted by them. Socializing is not his strength; he’s never been able to make many friends or close relationships, but he’s great at making enemies and pissing people off. His wit and sarcasm can be funny as hell. 

 Speaking of hell, there’s a lot of the ‘F’ word in this series. It doesn’t bother me, but if you’re offended–this isn’t the series for you. 

 The story is told as Ren’s autobiography. We hear how he became aware of his powers, his anger and boredom in the small town where he grew up in England. Ren tells of us how he takes advantage of anyone that has anything to offer, his eventual boredom with it all and he brings us into the present tense with his desire to end it (himself). 

Ren is not alone with his powers. There are many others with similar gifts, some who use them to help people and the world at large, while other holders of the powers are not so charitably minded. Author Sarah Noffke does an excellent job describing/explaining how these powers work and what the limits are. 

 Like any good story, Ren is confronted with a nemesis and backed into a corner. His personality really doesn’t change, but Ren grows in character and feelings as he sees more of the world, both the outside manifestation and his own soul. As much as he’s tried to suppress or deny his emotions, there’s still the spark of humanity this self-proclaimed monster. 

 Sarah Noffke has done a great job in building this world, the characters in it and the challenges they face. Tim Campbell does a great job in narrating to bring the character of Ren Lewis and the story to life. This is one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to. 5 stars, 2 Thumbs up.

November '19 Book Review: Go Home, Afton - by Brent Jones

Go Home, Afton– Brent Jones

This short novel, or long novella is a quick and enjoyable read. It’s the opening story in the Afton Morrison thriller series of five books. I’d never heard of the book or author Brent Jones and picked it up on a whim, after reading the book blurb on one of the book promo giveaways that I subscribe to. Glad I did!

 This is the story of Afton, an intelligent, quiet children’s librarian with a dark side and a great, acerbic sense of humor. She is our narrator, albeit unreliable at times because Afton has some personality disorders brought on by earlier life trauma. Afton tells us she is a survivor, not a victim. I love the internal dialogue in this book, and the conversations she has with her... Let’s just say that Afton has a few conflicting traits making her the story’s hero and anti-hero. 

Afton is looking for revenge– against bad guys and assholes. She plans and plans meticulously about taking a particular man’s life– until it begins to fallapart. 

 The writing and editing are top notch. The story is fast-paced and drew me in right from the start. The characters are well-developed in a short amount of time. I likedbeing inside the mind of a sarcastic woman with morals, that still wants, and plans to kill someone. The ending was good, not a cop-out like so many (disappointing) thrillers – but/and, the narrator lets you know the story continues. Brent Jones has hooked me. I’ll be picking up the rest of the series. 

 It’s available in all the ebook formats (Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, etc). The first four books of the series are available as one collection; The Afton Morrison Series, from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. The audiobook was a finalist in the Thriller category for the 2019 Independent Audiobook Awards.  The ebook version is free, so check it out!

https://authorbrentjones.com/

October '19 Book Review: Riding Into the Heart of Patagonia, by Nancy Pfeiffer

I’ll start with a full disclose: I haven’t seen Nancy in 30-some years since I moved from my home in Alaska. Occasionally while catching up with friends they’d fill me in on some of her adventures and her ‘career’ in outdoor leadership. I always had great respect for Nancy, her abilities and her ‘take no shit’ attitude. We, as a group of friends, did some great hikes and ski trips together in Alaska.

 It surprised me when she announced that she’d written and published her book; Riding Into the Heart of Patagonia, about her 20 years of adventures riding her horses over 3,000 kilometers in Chile. I knew Nancy as a woman who loved the outdoor sports of skiing, mountain climbing, kayaking and whatever else she could find to conquer. This book journals her adventures in learning horsemanship as she rode through the remote Patagonia countryside under often-brutal conditions. Now I’m also happy to discover she’s darn good at writing, as well as equestrian skills.

Nancy has captured the skill of description as she paints a vivid world for you to see, hear, smell and almost touch. She doesn’t gloss over the difficulties or her own fears and self-doubts when things get rough. She makes mistakes; wrong turns and misjudgments in gear, getting in over her head at times, but bulldogs her way through the challenges. She also meets wonderful people, crosses amazing landscapes and bonds with her horses.

Patagonia and Chile are changing at a rapid rate as the modern world rolls in to this once remote land. Nancy was there to experience the ‘old ways’ and witness the changes that are reshaping the land and people of Patagonia. It’s not that many years earlier that the both of us experienced the similar changes of advancing ‘modernization’ in Alaska.

Having gone through the ‘Pipeline Days’, when the Alyeska Pipeline was built to transport crude oil from Prudhoe Bay on the north coast of Alaska, to the southern port of Valdez, Nancy could see a similar pattern happening to the land and people of Patagonia.

I’m left with complete respect for Nancy’s writing skills as well as her sense of adventure and love of the outdoors, her willingness to explore a country where she wasn’t fluent in the language (at first), where a woman was not expected to be traveling without a man, and her tenacity to tough it out when the going got rough.

Book Review September '19, Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses

Wow, what happened? All I knew about this book was that it was so controversial that Iran’s Supreme Leader; Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa (an Islamic Legal opinion/pronouncement) that Salman Rushdie (and anyone involved in publishing this book) should be executed for blasphemy. Boy, did that cause a world-wide kerfuffle! That was over 40 years ago and the Ayatollah’s fatwa still stands.  This year I figured it was time that I found out what all the controversy is about.

 This book took me a long time to get through. The bottom line: I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. It didn’t make me mad, except for the wanky ending. It was not a book that; ‘I couldn’t wait to read another chapter(s) tonight.’ It was a book I could easily go a week or more before picking it up again.

 This book is by far the most bizarre story and style I’ve ever read. It’s written in a style/form that would make Shrunk and White go apoplectic. Some sentences run on for a page, trying to use as many grammatical markings (commas, colons, semi-colons, m-dashes, slashes, parenthesis, etc.) as possible. I understood what he was saying, but man, I would almost guess he was on meth when he penned this.

The story jumps around quite a bit, though revolving (or so it seems) around two main characters. Sometimes it gets so bizarre that I had to ask; Where the **** is he going with this? I couldn’t guess if one or both main characters where really angels or delusional schizophrenics. 

After I would discuss parts of this book with my wife, she always asked; ‘Why are you still reading it?’ Answer: I wanted to know what was so terrible about it that a religious leader would order the author to be executed. 

Somewhere in there, he does explain how Mohammed came to write the Koran and have answers, or rather confirmations of his own opinions, that came from the angel Gabriel.  Rushdie opines that Mohammed came from a distinct culture and class, and that his opinions are directly reflective of that culture. This left me asking ‘What? That’s what all the hubbub is about?’ 

Do I recommend this book? No. The part about Mohammed and the Koran is interesting, but the rest is a series of messes and confusion. 

May Book Review: Sean Costello – Squall

**Don’t confuse this author with the blue’s musician of the same name.

I hadn’t heard of Sean Costello or his novel, Squall, when I came across it in Amazon’s ‘recommendations’. Both the title and cover caught my attention.

Having lived in Alaska for many years, seeing an airplane caught in a winter storm– that’s a story I can connect with. I was thinking ‘winter survival’, but the story wasn’t what I expected. In addition to being surprised in the first chapter, I was hooked right away on the first sentence. I knew this was a tale I was going to enjoy.

The story is both serious and humorous at the same time– a great combination. A nice, family guy, Tom Stokes is living in rural Ontario and heads out in his small plane to repair a remote hunting cabin before a storm sets in.  Meanwhile, a drug deal between rival criminal factions in Toronto has gone awry, and a chase is on. We switch back and forth following the stories and different characters until the inevitable intersection. Although there aren’t any graphic sex or violence scenes, there is the normal amount of everyday cussing – some may say it’s not suitable for children.

The characters that Sean brings to this tale are well developed, easy to visualize and spot-on captivating as the tension builds. Same for the settings, he describes each scene just enough to set the picture and the movie in your mind without dwelling on trivial details.

It’s a well-paced page-turner and a quick read, perfect for a little escape time. He’ll keep you wanting to read ‘just one more chapter.’ This novel turned me into a Sean Costello fan. I’ve gladly bought more of his books. He knows his craft well. Whether you're curling up to read at night, or looking for something to entertain you on the beach this summer, Squall is a book you’ll enjoy.

Squall available in ebook from Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Nook and most other ebook distributors. You can also get it, and his other works, direct from his website;

www.seancostello.net

Book Review for February '19

I reckon it’s time for me start reviewing books that I’ve enjoyed recently. I hope it inspires you to review books and authors too. Spread the word, my friends and stay literate!

Magnificent Vibration by Rick Springfield

I received this novel as a gift from a friend who knows my taste in stories. I knew of Rick Springfield as both a musician and actor and am now pleasantly surprised to find him a great storyteller and author. 

Magnificent Vibration is a short, easy to read novel which asks (and answers) the questions: Why are we here? What is love? Does God send text messages to special people? 

His main character, Bobby Cotton tells us his story while jumping back and forth from childhood memories to the present action and consequences when he steals a book called Magnificent Vibration. Bobby recalls his experiences growing up with religion and discovering his sexuality–which brings us to the second main character; Bobby’s penis, Woody. This character has a mind of its own and more often than not, wants to take charge in this comedic story. 

In the present day, Bobby is down on his luck, recently divorced and working a shitty job. The adventure begins when Bobby dials the phone number scribbled inside the book he’s just stolen. Turns out it’s the hot line to the smart aleck, wise-crackin’ OSB–Omnipotent Supreme Being. Bobby of course has a hard time believing and wrapping his head around this.

It’s not long before he encounters two others; one, a sexy nun named Alice, the second, a giant of a man, Lexington Vargas. The one thing they share in common is the book Magnificent Vibration. The three of them are now locked together to find out why God has chosen to speak to them both on the phone and through a book about themselves.

 Every good adventure story has to include death, and the passing of a fisherman on Loch Ness throws another hook into this tale. It seems the Grim Reaper is just getting started as hundreds die in a plane crash and our trio is running scared. 

I didn’t see the ending coming. He pulled it off well. I mean the ending! Not Woody!

-Randy S L